Games World of Puzzles October 2021

Welcome to the October issue of GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES! It’s full of tricks and treats—puzzles, that is! And this month, we’ve got even more of them than usual, as much of our color section is devoted to puzzles.
You might want to begin with “High-Low Quiz” (page 34), an illustrated trivia puzzle that tests your knowledge of facts and figures. Then move on to “Trite and True” (page 38), which challenges you to identify pictures that will complete all of the clichés in a hard-boiled murder mystery. Finally, there’s “Lock the Doors…” (page 42), a trivia quiz that covers a wide range of Halloween-related topics. Some questions will be a snap; others will leave you scratching your head.
On the editorial side, check out Raymond Simon’s “The Fabulous Rachel Fabi.” In addition to her job as a college professor, Fabi recently began blogging for Wordplay, the official crossword column of the New York Times. Learn more about Fabi’s thoughts on crosswords in Simon’s insightful Q&A on page 36. Also, don’t miss Andrew Parr’s “Cryptic Classroom #2: Double Definitions.” It’s the second installment in Parr’s series of tutorials on how to solve cryptic crosswords. You might call it an instructive “Post article (6)”—in other words, an instructive COLUMN. (Get it? If not, turn to page 33!)
Last, but certainly not least, we have the Pencilwise section, which offers up goodies for every solver. If word puzzles are your bag, turn to Todd Kreisman’s “Sundial” (page 22) or Fred Piscop’s “Split Decisions” (page 50). If you prefer math and logic puzzles, there are plenty to choose from: Everett Kaser’s “Honeycomb Hotel” (page 54), “Skyscrapers” by Conceptis Ltd. (page 13), or “Left Hanging,” Mark Zegarelli’s extra-tough logic puzzle (page 64).
Now, pick up a pencil and get in the puzzling spirit!